Kukla's Korner Hockey

When Manny Malhotra left the ice in a bloody mess Wednesday after a second period neutral-zone collision with Erik Johnson — in which the Vancouver Canucks centre was hit by the puck above the eye — it brought the biggest postseason fear into focus. Malhotra was sent to the hospital with blood in his eye and the actual extent of the injury won’t be known until today and there’s some fear of a broken orbital bone.

“I don’t think anybody should speculate one way or the other,” cautioned Canucks coach Alain Vigneault.

Then again, team doctors were huddled in a hallway long after the game, so read whatever you want into that. So, forget a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Arena that gave the club seven-straight triumphs and secured the franchise’s third-consecutive Northwest Division title and fourth in the last five years.